Being Alpha
by Darwin
Summary: The Elders have fallen, vampire and lycan, leaving a power vacuum that could destroy both species. Michael and Selene must gain control of the factions and stop the war. Chpt 9: Selene and Kahn trek into the Lycan's den, but who really needs saving?
1. Prologue: Slipping the Skin

**Prologue: Slipping the Skin**

Michael wasn't sure what exactly Selene had done to him, where the powers he used came from. He remembered little after the pain exploded in his chest and the fire had spread through his blood. He remembered nothing until the transformation started.

Michael had thought the change in the back of the squad car at full moon had been painful. That event had nothing on these recent alterations.

His body was still aching from it.

He didn't consciously look at himself, but couldn't help but notice the color of his skin, nearly indigo blue and pale claws an inch long protruded from each fingertip. His chest and back felt tighter; muscular and powerful. The use of new weapons he found instinctive, rage fueling the accuracy of his strikes against a creature who immediately struck him as the enemy.

Michael pushed up from the calf deep water, trying once again to catch his breath. His throat felt bruised and tight from his fight with the vampire. That creature had assaulted Selene, and nearly driven him to the ground. He realized that he chose no easy nemesis on which to test out this new body. As much as his speed, agility, aggression, and fighting prowess heightened, he was no match for a vampire with that much time in his skin.

It was a losing battle from the start, but Michael was possessed by protectiveness for Selene. Hearing the words Viktor spouted to the vampire…how he'd killed his kin all because a slave – a Lycan – loved her. Michael heard how he planned to take care of Selene's indiscretion just as with his own daughter. The elder made direct comparisons between the two events.

The threat of death in his voice was the last straw.

The thought of those events faded again. Once he was steady enough, he pushed back to his feet.

He felt Selene's approach, and he turned to face her. Emotions played across the vampiress' face as she gazed upon him for the first time in this slipped skin. She looked curious and a bit alarmed by his appearance, and he wondered what exactly she saw that he could not. His nerves sang, his breath was still heaving as he stared at her. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but was unsure how to start.

Her eyes left him and strayed to a point high above. Michael followed her gaze, lighting upon the hulking shadow of a Lycan. The beast snarled, a curling of lips without a hint of sound, and then it bowed its head and backed into the shadows until one blended with the other. Continuing his visual tour of the subterranean dwelling, he saw several more of the vampire's cousins. None would hold his gaze, all backing instead into the darkness.

The reaction confused him, he was only one – with Selene they were only two. They were in Lycan territory, and he was sure that there were more than the few he was seeing. He expected no less than a brawl for him and his vampire consort to get out of the tunnels alive. His fighting with Viktor showed no true skill - nothing that would give these werewolves pause. He didn't even finish the fight.

Yet they were backing off.

Michael surprised himself with what he _was_ able to accomplish in that fight. He seemed to anticipate the vampire lord's moves before he had thought them out clearly for himself. That was a rush, holding his own against a vampire Elder. Then it fell apart, and he thought he was a dead man…well dead whatever he was now.

Michael returned his attention behind him when Selene dropped the sword that finished the fight. She looked heartbroken, confused, and vulnerable, for the first time since they met. She had always been so – in charge – sure of her actions and her cause. Now she seemed a frightened little girl. He couldn't get over how rattled she appeared.

That didn't do a whole lot for his confidence.

Without conscious thought his skin slipped, bones and organs realigning to a form he'd worn regularly in his previous life. It didn't hurt as much as that initial shape-shifting event and he hoped that any future efforts would be more pleasant than that first time.

Michael had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he would be forced to his new skills. He could feel the blood starting to dry on his shoulder, chest, and stomach, but a visual assessment showed him no signs of the bullets he took from the vampire firing squad. It was as if he dreamed it rather than lived through it.

Selene's silence dragged on as she merely turned from him. Michael fell in behind, too overwhelmed to consider discussing what just happened – what he had become – or why she attacked her own. There was urgency in the way Selene moved that told him now was not the time for discussing what happened after he had been shot by Kraven.

He didn't want to consider that her defection was just because of him; because of some possible feelings she might possess for a Lycan.

He paused to consider that a moment, _Am I still?

* * *

_

Selene touched the shaft of sunlight drooling through the broken ceiling of the castle. She was crying - not from pain of her wounds, but in happiness.

_I haven't seen the sun in so long,_ flit through her mind.

She was unsure what effects there would be in taking Corvinus' blood. The benefits made themselves apparent during her altercation with Marcus. Her effort to stop him from releasing his brother William had been in vain. The plan fell to keeping the two brothers of them from going out into the world and killing it. Despite the new skills and prowess, fighting both sons of Corvinus proved too much for her alone.

Selene's gaze was drawn like a magnet to the other who stepped onto the broken bridge, hearing the blades of the helicopter at her back still whirring to a stop. Her tears began anew seeing him there. He was killed, she was so sure of it. Marcus used the combination of his millennia as a vampire and the blood of his ancestors to meld the Lycan strain of the virus into his own - using both to an advantage that Michael's newly acquired skills didn't allow. The vampire elder impaled Michael, and then he left with his prize, the other half of the key to William's tomb.

She was heartbroken to see Michael laying there, lifeless and unresponsive so shortly after they had consummated their passion. She bled for him, trying once again to revive him with a draught from her own wrist. The effort had been in vain, he remained a lifeless hulk packed into a body bag and transported on the helicopter with the team.

Yet when she thought all hope was lost, he appeared as an apparition to haunt her. His efforts were instrumental in the success of their battle, taking William's concentration and allowing her to focus her newfound skills on Marcus.

She saw Michael's wondered gaze stray up to the beam, following it down again until he looked at her sun rimed face. Selene laughed her incredulity, raising a hand until it was bathed in the warm orange light.

He stepped closer, laying a hand on her cheek, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, "Better than all right."

"What happened?"

There wasn't a chance to compare notes since his resurrection and she was sure the sight of her standing in a bath of sunlight was confusing.

"A gift from Corvinus," she whispered, unable to explain it further. She ignored the additional confused looks he gave her. She stared back into the sun, novas etching into her vision, "I…haven't seen the sun – in over six hundred years."

Her attention returned to him, wonder bleeding out of her features. Her warrior had fallen back into place, "And you?"

Michael looked down his body, touching his abdomen where there had been a piling protruding through it only hours before. He shook his head, "I feel…fine."

"You…you were dead."

The old tears came back again, and she blinked in an effort to clear her vision.

"You said there was no way of telling just what I was capable of," He couldn't meet her eyes as he reminded her of the words. She frowned, knowing that he was still uncomfortable with his duality, even when he covered her back more times than she could count on this grand adventure. Every day he showed amazing leaps in his ability, control over his changes, and use of his power – she was astonished with it.

"I know, but Michael…"

He stopped her protest, "I can't explain it any better than you can."

She pulled one lip between her teeth, falling silent again.

"What now?" Michael was resting a hand at the crook of her back.

"We have to find a way home," her gaze lingered on the helicopter, now as lifeless as Marcus, William, and the crew Corvinus loaned her for this fight.

She shivered as she realized the covens were now without Elder leadership. Amelia, Viktor, and Marcus were all dead. There was going to be a power struggle, and it would spill back into the cities if no action was taken to rein in the bloodlust. She glanced back at her hybrid consort, knowing that the Lycans were going to be no less leaderless now that Lucian was truly dead. They would try to wrest control from the covens knowing that the void would leave the underlings confused.

"And after?"

She met his gaze.

"Both houses are without leadership," she let the statement linger in the air a moment, "You know what we have to do."

"Stop the war."


	2. Old Fights

**Chapter One: Old Fights**

Snarling echoed in the darkness, the cacophony of bodies being thrown to the ground, into walls, and against metal grating all resounded through the subterranean dwelling. Seneca rounded the corner, viewing the mayhem that broke out since she departed.

She knew this was going to happen.

With Lucian gone, there was fighting over the Alpha position of the pack. Every testosterone laden male in the den was shooting for the position. She snarled as she rounded the corner. The posturing and positioning descended into a childish brawl. If one could consider fighting with razor-sharp claws and flesh-rending fangs, childish.

"Stop it!" She bellowed. The sound echoed back and forth on the curved walls until it hurt even her ears. "This display is pitiful! Were he alive, Lucian would tear out your throats! I don't know why you all are fighting. None of your mongrels are suitable for Alpha. None of you are worthy of sharing my bed!"

She was satisfied to see some of the biggest males tucking their tails before they slipped their skins to their more human appearances. Seneca stepped to the closest of them staring him down. His eyes slid to the gutter immediately. The big brown male she approached next tried to cow her – assert his dominance over her by glaring directly into her golden eyes. Beta male he might but that guaranteed no right of succession with her.

Seneca began growling, a tenor that grew more guttural as she assumed her true form. Her height towered over the others human form. Her black hair gave way to the silver of her fur. It was a stark contrast against the midnight of her changed skin. She snarled, spittle drooling off of her long curled canines and dripping onto the Lycan's face. He didn't dare change to his more wolf-like form, not now.

Seneca wanted him to though, and hoped he read it in her body set.

_Let him be stupid enough._

She only took one step and the man dropped his gaze and took several steps to the rear, but she wasn't letting him out of it. Assuming his ascension would he? She cleared the opening space in one leap, pinning the cretin to the slimy concrete. Her jaws were on his neck before he could even beg mercy, dark blood spilling and mixing with the murky water that ran down the center of the "hall."

Seneca stepped back, straightening and whirling at the same time. She heard the Lycan whimpering at her feet, and ignored him. Lesson meted out, hopefully lesson learned. She shifted back to human form, standing completely naked before them, unabashed in her fury. She glared at the dregs of Lucian's once proud pack.

"You all sicken me!"

With that she walked off.

_Idiots - the lot of them._

She could remember when Lucian picked members of the pack for characteristics that had nothing to do with the amount of brute force they could wield against the vampires. When family unit was key, and balance paramount. She peered at the thinning crowd of Lycans as she headed for her quarters.

None of that existed now.

Werewolf packs never had so many males as this. Lucian's desperation to gain an edge had undermined his normal sensibilities. The pack was down to half a dozen women, hidden down here among the cul de sacs and mazes while the men took the war to the vampire covens.

Lucian wanted to protect the legacy.

She wished that he had been a little more 21st century about it. The female Lycans were larger than the men in their true form, as capable and able in the fight as any of these dregs. But pure lines were prized, and Lucian's obsession had a lot to do with putting the fodder out for the vampires to tire on. That was why he had converted so many human men.

Seneca flopped down on the four poster bed Lucian had somehow managed to get down in the sewers without ruining. She buried her head into one thick and soft pillow, hugging it tighter to her. She was comfortable to let her guard down here, allow her self to once again mourn.

"Lucian, I miss you," she whispered, breathing in the lingering scent of him. He was the wily one, a sly nemesis against the covens. He had twisted and tweaked and adjusted the situation to his liking, all while staying out of sight for more than 600 years. He was brilliant.

She opened her eyes again staring at the drab bricked ceiling.

She didn't want another Alpha male, not from the stock here. She knew she would have to pick someone, knowing that if she lingered too long her Betas would both challenge her for the right to lead. Yet, she saw weakness in each and every Lycan around her. More of them than not were converted. Most of the born lineage had died in that final assault on the tunnels by Viktor and his Death Dealers. Raze would have been a good choice. He wasn't the strategist that Lucian was, but he was at least passionate and focused about his causes. He was just as dead as many of the warriors.

Then there were the rumors.

She focused, sitting up again and taking enough time to draw a robe about her bare form. Survivors of the slaughter had claimed that there was a blue skinned warrior. One who had smelled Lycan, but fought and looked more like a vampire. The creature took on the vampire elder alone.

She hadn't seen the altercation – off on other errands at the time – and only found out about the rest of Lucian's scheme and its results upon her return. She scoffed; the warriors that reported it to her must have taken too much silver in the fight, because the details didn't make sense to her.

Seneca frowned.

Lucian's plan had been a good one, a way to bring even a semblance of peace and balance between the two factions. He contacted Kraven, convinced the power hungry vampire in some manner to help him stage his own death, and then worked at them with anonymity. They had kept their growing numbers a secret for a very long time. She knew about the plan to betray and kill the elders, prevent the awakening of Marcus, she heard that it had been a partial success – Emilia had been killed. In addition to the death of Viktor in the tunnels, the vampires were severely weakened.

Somehow that plan to throw the power balance became mingled with the search for the Corvinus' heir, and in that tangle, her Alpha mate was betrayed. Her mate mentioned that he found the likely candidate and marked him. She had yet to see that creature come groveling to her for acceptance into the pack. She wondered if Lucian ever found what he was looking for.

No one was witness to their Alpha's demise, so no details were available to her. Lucian had been shot through with a new weapon. She could see the ooze of silver nitrate in lines from his bullet wounds, the blackening of his veins that showed the poison's progress. She found him in the aftermath of that fight, and deduced the rest for herself.

More recently, it had filtered down through her contacts to the outside world, that Marcus also lost his semblance of life. Seneca meant to take advantage of such a loss in the infrastructure of vampire society. The Alpha gathered every dreg from the far flung "terror cells" and brought them here. Without the elders, she was sure that the remaining members of the coven were in disarray. She intended to cull a large number of them in the resulting chaos. The covens were owed so much for their cruelty to Lycans all these centuries.

That was, if she could get her own mangy crew to behave like a team and not a bunch of horny drunkards.

Seneca sighed again, lowering herself once more to the softness of the mattress, knowing that she was going to get no such comfort in the coming days. She had to lead this pack of mongrels to war. She was going to honor Lucian's memory by continuing his quest.

Glory slipped through Seneca's door, already in a position of submissiveness.

"My lady," She whispered.

"Glory," Seneca sighed, rolling over onto her stomach, exposing her thighs and butt in the move, "Stop groveling, you are my second, nearly my equal."

"Yes, M'lady,"

"What am I Queen Victoria?" She peered over at the Beta female. In her dark loose clothing Glory nearly blended into the shadows surrounding them. Her auburn and black streaked hair was pulled into a bun, wispy ends sticking about here and there. With ice blue eyes she reflected her apologies.

"Sorry Seneca."

"What do you have to report?"

"It is as you predicted. The coven is in a state of disarray, they have been caught off guard and don't seem to know just who to put in charge of the house."

"Good. Your team?"

"The Lycana are ready."

Secretly, Seneca had been forming her own arm of enforcement. With Lucian's longer and longer absences and the idea that the covens knew exactly where this pack was at - and had been here numerous times - Seneca made sure that her women were going to be able to carry their own.

Lycana were equals in the wild packs when they existed, and such was the case when she had first come to be Lucian's Alpha. But the mores of human society slowly seeped into the pack's society, tainting that once equitable arrangement. It didn't help that the slaughter upon Lucian's first "death" had taken most of the females from their gene pool.

That was one decision that she wished Lucian never made, the price for him to glide under the radar was too high.

After that loss, Lucian and the other males had decided that it was best for the bloodline if the women fell to the back of the pack, protected in the event the worst should happen. She had never liked it, always the warrior, the hunter, and able to take care of herself even when she was the lone wolf in her section of the woods.

"Now. Let me see if we can get the men to play nice with the vampires."

Seneca slipped from the bed, regretting that she would not get even a nap on it before mobilizing the pack, and headed for her wardrobe. She needed something with a lot of give to it.


	3. New Beginnings

**Chapter Two: New Beginnings**

Michael felt an odd sense of déjà vu as they moved through the streets of the city, identifying places he was familiar with. It was a disjointed feeling that possessed him, as if that had been some other life altogether. They had only gone at most a month, perhaps a month and a half since last stepping foot here.

Yet it seemed so distant and dreamy – or was that nightmarish?

Getting out of the remote mountain area had taken a majority of that time. Then there was the matter of getting transportation without drawing undue attention to their freakish natures. They had a reputation in the mountains around Budapest and it made nothing short of a miracle to find humans that hadn't heard the name Michael Corvin, or see his face.

He glanced over at Selene, who was clutching at the steering wheel of the rental car and looking as if death was upon her. That was a bad thing, considering what she explained of the exchange after he had lost his grip on this world.

She didn't look any different, no stronger, no more powerful than when he saw her that first time in the subway in that other life. She said that Corvinus had gifted his pure immortal powers to her. Having seen what she accomplished against the hybrid Marcus, the differences became apparent to him. His gaze strayed to the noonday sun shining through the windshield of the car and then back to her again. She wore tight, stylish wraparound sunglasses, realizing that night attuned eyes were still not the best in the daylight, even when tolerance of the radiation was heightened.

"What's our first step?" Michael broke the heavy silence that had enveloped them the moment they had neared the city.

She was so still that Michael was unsure that she had heard his question. Finally her lips pinched together. "None of this is going to be easy."

It wasn't really an answer to the question, but he gave his vampire partner some time to formulate what she was going to say. The pause was against his nature, as always, he wanted the answers now. He reminded himself that an American's sense of urgency didn't often translate to one on the part of the European. Vampire or no – Selene was European.

"I think that we might have an easier time convincing the covens."

He was thinking the opposite of that, "What about the Lycans?"

"That is going to be a bigger problem."

"How's that?

Selene refused to answer the question.

With a frustrated sigh, Michael turned to stare out the front window.

"You're not truly one of them." The answer was so out of time with the conversation, that Michael caught himself merely staring.

"Meaning…they're not going to accept me as a member of the pack?"

"Exactly."

His face heated up, angry that she would think he wouldn't be able to handle them. He knew she struck on a very valid point, but he couldn't help but think about what he had seen those first moments after Viktor's death.

He had been mulling it over ever since.

"Do you remember the night…" he trailed off, still having a hard time talking about how he had been resurrected from death, no longer a human or Lycan, but as something completely different, "Do you remember what happened in the tunnels?"

It was his turn to catch Selene off guard. "What about it?"

She peeled around a corner, delaying Michael's ability to answer, as centrifugal force pushed him into the far door. He really didn't like it when she drove like this.

When the car leveled out and was barreling down the next cross street, Michael picked a little closer to his point. "Do you remember the surviving Lycans' actions?"

"They were scared," she demurred, "They were leaderless, and they feared that the two of us would completely wipe them out."

Michael tilted his head, "Stop thinking like a vampire, Selene. You're no more a vampire than I am a Lycan any more."

"Then what do you take their actions for?"

"Deference," Michael stated.

"You think they revered you?" There was a crooked smile to go with the incredulity in her voice.

She still wasn't getting it.

"Nevermind."

He ran a hand through his unruly brown hair in frustration, and threw himself back in his seat. He loved her, but sometimes she was purposely dense with him. She saw Lycans as second class citizens. Even she remembered them as escaped slaves - animals - no matter what the ancient tomes had revealed to her regarding the past.

Flashes of Lucian's memories flit through his mind unbidden, a jumble of new images that he had yet to decipher, as well as the replay of Lucian's lady love – Sonja – crisping under the sun focused through the rounded skylight. He almost felt the pain as the silver whips laid into Lucian's skin, felt his agony as Sonja perished. He shook his head to free himself of them. The former was a puzzle piece best saved for when their lives weren't in mortal danger. The latter something he need not dwell on.

Selene went on as if not noticing his mood, "We should reach the mansion momentarily. The good thing, the coven will be resting. The bad thing, they're going to be pissed off when they wake up."

Michael sighed, releasing his anger. He had to follow her lead on this; there was no way he was letting her go into her former family's home alone. Despite her recent changes, he was certain that she would be overwhelmed the moment she they knew of her arrival. She was already on the outs with them, coming back in and declaring dominance over their lives was probably not going to go over well.

"How are you going to convince them?"

She paused again, and then turned her dark brown eyes, hidden by the sunglasses toward him, "I don't know."

* * *

Selene sat frozen at the gates, her white hands nearly blue from her death grip on the steering wheel. Her mouth was slightly agape at the sight that greeted them up on their return to the mansion. The setting sun outlined the sharp teeth of broken walls and illuminated the ash color that tainted the remaining pieces of a once proud building. 

"Holy shit," Michael uttered. "What happened?"

"I don't know," She snapped.

Michael threw up his hands defensively; the ice blue eyes regarding him were as sharp as diamonds.

"Do you think they are still here?"

She peered at the icon of a rearing horse in the center of the steering wheel, more civil in her tone. "I don't know."

Her face was once again masked in that carefully cultured indifference when she turned her gaze towards the ruin of her one time home.

"Let's find out."

She leapt from her seat, plugging her code into the access panel at the gate, and Michael wondered how she could possibly consider that they would have left the code unchanged. He was surprised when the gates clicked and swung with an audible creak inward.

They were soon pulling to a stop at the remnants of the front door. The guard dogs by that point had discovered their intrusion. The large rotweilers snapped and snarled at the doors of the car, latching onto the handles with enough strength that they started to bend.

"They're still here…they would have taken the guardians with them otherwise."

"How would they survive the inferno?" Michael looked as Selene.

"You'll see."

Her gaze was now for the large canines circling the vehicle searching for a way in.

"It's your turn." She shrugged, speaking of the dogs.

He nodded and with little thought shifted to a form the creatures might better understand and respect. He didn't take chances however, waiting until the one beast backed up for another lunge, and then flung the door wide. He caught the creature square in the muzzle, the creature's short yelp illustrating the impact's force, before the dog went limp.

He was free like a shot, closing the door in his wake and bracing himself for the other dog whom he could hear rounding the body of the vehicle. As the Rottweiler rounded the front fender, Michael crouched, snarling at the creature, claws outstretched claws. His posturing didn't slow the dog and the heavy animal leapt at him. Michael sidestepped, slashing as the dog went by and crimson droplets painted the side of the silver gray car.

The animal struggled to get up, to come after him again, but Michael mercifully ended the creature's life. When the fighting had stilled, Selene got out of the vehicle, and they both turned toward the sound of more guardians headed for them.

Selene was calm as she turned toward Michael, "Okay, my turn."

She didn't approach the folded door, looking with disdain on the sooty remains. She moved to the left, toward a brick section of wall that still stood. Her hands trailed along the bricks and stones; her eyes shuttered to near non existence as she searched. She stepped forward once again, paused, and then stepped back, turning toward the wall. To Michael it looked like any other section of the wall. Selene knew something though because her hands flew over the stones in a pattern he didn't quite catch. There was a sound of stone on stone and then an opening blackness appeared before them. The angling sun illuminated a long steep stairwell that led down into the depths of the hill underneath the dead structure.

"Come on," she nodded toward the opening and then started down the stairs.

Michael wondered about the meaning and purpose of such a rabbit hole, but was unable to communicate his curiosity, so he merely kept his eyes peeled and his senses sharp. He had found early on that his vocal chords weren't adapted for speech in this form, a kickback from Lucian's Lycan heritage, the form he was infected with first. Michael trailed in Selene's wake, wary and tense; his heightened senses were inundated in musty scents similar to, but stronger than the one Selene emitted; the smell of long vampire occupation.

Sounds could be heard, further into the tunnels, quite distant from their approach to the caverns. He was able to make out slides on weapons being drawn, and Michael found himself glad that he hadn't bothered to shift back to his human appearance. He was sure there would be no love lost on him.

Selene still exuded calm; he couldn't even smell fear on her. The tunnel ended at a darkened door, and once again Selene deactivated the security and let them out into a well lit and marble lined hall. There were scars from the fire above, even down here. The doors to their right led into a darkened antechamber nearly as big as a house, the glass cracked and tumbled creating the effect of sharp rending teeth. The control booth to their left was dark and gutted by fire, and the electronics that had been there were nothing but slag and wires.

The sounds grew louder from the other side of the glass. Selene pushed on Michael's shoulder.

"In – get into the tomb." She instructed.

He allowed her pressing palm to slide him toward her objective, leaping through the destroyed glass. Selene headed across the floor as Michael paused just inside, peering through the snarling maw to take in once more the amount of destruction.

He wanted to ask her if it was wise to do this. His assessment told him this was a trap that had little hope of being escaped.

Michael found his thoughts straying, even as danger drew closer.

After fighting Marcus, and figuring out that he was a hybrid as well, Michael began to wonder about the differences between their appearance and abilities. He questioned whether they could be attributed to which viral strain invaded their bodies first, how far the change progressed, and the interaction between the strains. Michael knew he appeared and even smelled Lycan. Marcus on the other hand, assumed a form that was more bat-like than that of a typical vampire and had the same strength and adaptability.

Further analysis of hybrid differences was cut short as the thunder of feet echoed down the immaculate hall.

Michael backed away from the glass, glancing back only to avoid the gaping hole in the floor. He didn't have time to look at it, but at a glance it looked as if something had burst forth from it.

"Get in the shadows, Michael."

He shook his head.

"They are less likely to shoot if you are out of sight."

He snarled at her, his only way of conveying his thoughts on the idea.

She laid a hand on his chest, "Please."

He looked down at the contact before looking back into her eyes. Michael laid a hand onto hers, before frowning and nodding. He backed away from her, concealing himself in the folds of one of the curtains - not so far back that he would be hindered if he needed to come to Selene's aid.

He could hear the feet getting closer, and watched as Selene gathered herself together, ready to face whatever this exchange might bring.

"Selene?" floated to Michael's ear, an accented voice that sounded confused and relieved at the same time.

"Hello Kahn," Selene sounded weary instead of relieved; "I thought you had been killed."

"The rumors of my death were overrated."

"Ah, I see. Are the others here as well?"

His next words relayed exhaustion, "The coven has moved, Selene, you see wha's become of the house. We're here just to ensure that anything salvageable gets moved."

There was a weighty silence, only punctuated by creaking leather and clacking weapons in anxious hands.

"What are you doin' back here, girl? Don't you know there's a price on your head?"

"Marcus is dead," she announced.

"So we've heard. How is it _you_ found out?"

"I killed him."

Michael heard guns come up, and barely suppressed a snarl. He was looking to Selene for cues, and she gave him none that said she was out of control of the situation.

"He had proven that his interests no longer matched those of the coven, Kahn."

"And how do you figure that?"

"He was trying to release William."

Silence followed the statement, the ancient house creaking in an effort to fill it.

"William is a legend; there is no proof of his existence."

"There is proof, I have seen it, in writing and in the flesh. Marcus was Corvinus' son, the first vampire. William was just as real as Marcus - just as real as Corvinus himself."

Another silence punctuated the room.

Selene went on while she had their attention, "Marcus found out about Kraven's treachery through the Lycan blood spilled in this very room, by the memories the Lycan harbored. He also discovered that the key to freeing his brother rested with Lucian, and upon his death – with Michael."

Michael took his cue, stepping out of the shadows and stopping his advance just behind and not quite next to Selene.

"You brought that abomination back here?"

Michael snarled at him, but Selene restrained further action with a motion.

"Marcus did free William, and intended as brothers to rule over this world. You know what the legends say about William?"

She went on when no one would speak up, "They said that William's virus, ancient as it was, turned _all_ who were exposed to it, and those converted were never able to return to their human form."

She glared at Kahn. "I couldn't allow that to happen. Corvinus tried to stop his son - his reward was death."

"What does all this have to do with your return?"

"I want the war to stop, Kahn. We need to stop it; there is no further point to it."

"She's tainted," one of the soldiers said, and Michael rolled his shoulders forward in preparation of a fight.

"I'm purified," she countered the accusation. "Corvinus, before his death, honored me - changed me."

"What do you mean?"

"How do you think I got into the mansion, Kahn?"

His features flattened out as the realization struck him that it was still daylight outside, no matter that it was moving on towards sunset.

"Do you see any marks of the sun on my skin? He has cured me."

"What are you proposing?"

"I'm taking leadership of the coven, Kahn."

Before any of them could protest, the sound of snarls and growls sounded from the same end of the hall that the vampires had come from. One of the vampires shouted in alarm.

"Lycans! We're under attack!"

Selene looked to the vampires and then to Michael.

_Shit, _Michael thought, wishing he could say blaspheme out loud.


	4. Lucian's Legacy

**Chapter Three: Lucian's Legacy**

_Seneca adjusted her blouse, because the garment was steadily crawling out of place. Her corset was tied too loosely, at her own behest, and the coarse fabrics fought, shifting her shirt into positions the bishops would consider blasphemous. _

_She gathered her skirt in both hands, freeing her legs to do some running now that she was again alone. Village life was dull, treacherous, and tedious, and against the wishes of her elders she loved to get out into the forest. The elders feared what lurked in the darkness, in the shadows that gathered thick along the trunks and in the underbrush. They were scared of sounds; they were also scared of their own shadows, and made up monsters to justify their own shortcomings. _

_Seneca was none of that, she adored the forest, loved to be out in it and among the shadows. There were berries to pick, wildlife to watch, and the whispering of trees about stories long forgotten. The villagers never understood her, any more than she understood how they could live day to day within the confines of the mud walls and flimsy bush barricades that kept most creatures out of their homes._

_It wasn't a surprise to her, growing up here as an orphan, a foundling, that they thought her so strange. She had been discovered in the middle of the woods by a hunting party. She had only been about three they said, wandering between the trees completely naked and dazed. She had been hit in the head and still bore the scar low on her skull in the back. No one knew where she had come from, and she couldn't remember her life before the moment this small village had adopted her._

_They were kind enough, had kept her fed and clothed, but she caught the looks they shot her when she unabashedly headed to the forest on a daily basis to explore and commune with the forest. Several of the matrons and hags in the village had sworn she was a sorceress, an evil sprite of the forest that it would hold so much sway over her. The fact that her eyes were an unnatural gold did nothing to help alleviate those rumors._

_She didn't care; this place was much more interesting than the stink of the garbage in the streets or the sweat of such a gathering of unwashed bodies._

_Her heart rate had barely climbed when she arrived at the clearing. The meadow was beautiful, blanketed in the green of fresh grass and the blooms of new flowers, white and gold scattered about the green. She flopped down among a thick patch of clover, reveling in the perfume of crushed leaves and bruised petals._

_Seneca had been lying there only moments when the air was cut by a chilling howl. She bolted upright, darting her glance into the surrounding trees. She knew the call, it was a wolf, a large one she thought by the deepness of its throaty call. She pushed back to her feet, but didn't retreat; instead she was drawn to the sound of it. A part of her answered that cry and she didn't try to deny its compulsion._

_She had traveled only long enough for the sun to slip past zenith when she came upon a smaller clearing, and in it, stood a man. Her feet shuffled to a stop as she regarded him, still unafraid but curious._

_He was tall, built as was typical for men of this area, but fuller, better fed than most in her town. He had stringy hair that might have been brown were it clean; it was a muddy gray currently. He was dressed like a noble, though the clothes were old and threadbare in several places. The shirt he wore was once white, but it was drab and nearly yellow now._

"_Hello, Seneca." There was a burr in the man's throat that made him sound weary._

"_Good day to you sir." She curtsied, and somehow it didn't seem at all odd that he knew her name. She was surprised at her own reactions to this stranger. "You are a traveler?"_

_A predator's smile broke on his face, revealing poorly kept yellow teeth, "A hunter would be more precise."_

"_And what is your quarry today?" The young woman was intrigued by the differentiation._

"_I have come a long way to find you again, my child."_

_She blinked, not expecting to hear that._

"_We thought you had died with your mother. The attack on her party had been too swift for us to help defend her. I only just recently discovered that you had survived. I am glad that I tracked you down before the first full moon after you hit a woman's time."_

_She did step back now, the odd words and the hungry way in which the man looked at her began to put her ill at ease. How would this fellow know that she had recently come into womanhood?_

"_We must get you free of here before the changes come. Come with me."_

"_Sir, you are scaring me."_

_That smile grew wider, "Fathers can do that to their daughters…especially in our family."_

_The statement caught any further protest and shoved them back down her throat._

"_Come, I will explain it. But we cannot be caught here."_

_His head whipped to a patch of sky only partially blocked by the stand of trees around them. She followed his eyes, lighting upon the sight of the full moon peering down at them. _

_It was beautiful and too large and she could only stare._

"_Too late!" the man barked, his voice sounding strangled. He gargled as his body tensed and he fell to hands and knees on the thick carpet of decayed leaves. She only had a moment to watch what was happening to him before that same part of her that answered the wolf's call rose up, growing in her until she felt as if she was going to split her skin. Her insides sang and strained, stretched and twisted; and fully aware of every horrific moment, she watched as her skin slipped, grew darker and sprouted not only silver hairs but long rending claws. _

_She shrieked or wanted to, what came out of her changed vocal chords was the whine she heard when the local wolf pack was disciplining one of its members. The pain was overwhelming and yet somehow she managed to remain awake as the transformation completed. Shivering, crouched in the tatters of her clothes, Seneca looked upon herself again, scared by what she was seeing. She pushed up, unused to the new way in which her legs bent and falling once more into the loamy soil. Trying again, she managed to balance on the ball of her foot, seeing that they were paws, padded and sharply clawed. _

_Her gaze then moved across the space to find the hulking figure where the man had stood before. His skin and fur were both midnight black, his muzzle had a slight wash of silver to it. His wolfish ears were long and tufted at the ends, articulated as they went from drooped and dejected to perked and aimed at her._

"_What's happening to me?" she tried to say, the question came out as a series of growls, whines, and snarls._

_What was more amazing was that he seemed to understand everything she said.

* * *

_

Seneca pulled herself from her reverie, having been lulled into her memories by the scent of the forest. The experience was something that she had dearly missed over the past several hundred years. She had loved her forest home some three hundred miles from here and over six hundred years distant. The smells that had brought on that memory was cut in two by the acrid smell of burned wood and other less natural substances, and caused her to snort to free herself of its stench.

The place had been burned nearly to cinders, and she thought that they would have moved the coven to another safe house. Her scouts reported differently, there was a lot of vampire activity still within the burned out husk of a house. Thought Seneca didn't know what precisely that activity meant, she knew it was a golden opportunity to strike at the vampires on their home turf, something that none would expect. That was the vampire's problem; they held no respect for their cousins. They had lorded over them for so long they had come to be thought of as inferior.

She sighed. Unfortunately many of the cretins surrounding her had grandly proved the vampires prejudices. She wanted to show them just how cunning and sophisticated her branch of the family tree could be.

She crouched next to the bole of one of the large trees surrounding the property, a place that was thick with shadows, hiding even her silver and gray coat from casual onlookers. Her ears twitched to the side and behind her, marking each of the pack's positions. Somewhere further to the back of the mansion interspersed among the remnants of forest were the Lycana. They were the surgical teams; these creatures surrounding her were only a ruse, a trick to draw the vampires out of hiding and into the open.

She thrilled at the thought of what lay ahead. She had been sick for the hunt for so long now. She could smell the vampires, her muscles singing at the thought of the fight. She wanted to get on with slaying – wanted to feel the flesh of the mortal enemy of the Lycan under her claws.

Just a little bit longer now. Her golden eyes strayed to the setting sun, not quite low enough for the vampires to be up. That was to their benefit.

She perked her ears forward hearing the sound of a car beyond the high wrought iron walls hemming the mansion in. There was the quiet creak as the gates swung open and then the car moving forward again.

Her brow rose slightly and she turned to the nearest male with a russet colored coat. He licked his lips and rocked back and forth on his haunches in anticipation. She picked up his eagerness to use the provided entrance. She flattened her ears and growled at him and he cowered in reprimand. Even if it was unexpected, there was no proof that the opening of the gate wasn't some sort of trap.

Seneca turned her eyes back toward the gray wall fronting her squad, listening again for any further disturbance. She wasn't disappointed when the yapping and snarling of dogs sounded and the collars jangled as they bolted towards the intruders. She could hear teeth against metal and the incessant growling of the new guardians of the nightwalkers. There was a yelp and the slamming of a door.

Her ears perked forward with more interest when another growl sounded, one borne of no dog she had ever heard. She straightened as something that sounded like cross between a huff of a human and the snarl of a dog floated on the breeze to her attentive listening.

Lycan? But who?

She furrowed her brows as there was a moment of silence before the grating of rock against rock reached her. All fell silent after that, or the action was further from her hearing than she could pick up.

She glanced around her once more, signaling to Leopold to begin the infiltration. He nodded his lips curling in an anticipatory snarl. The men coursed past her, leaping the walls with ten centimeters to spare. Their snarls became audible now that there was no turning back. She counted to ten before she howled loudly, her signal for the Lycana to take up their positions.

The pieces in place she cleared the wall, landing in a crouch and surveying the progress of the invasion party. They hadn't made it three quarters of the way across the lawn, when a creature burst from around one corner of the decimated mansion. The thing was blue skinned with pale palms and claws. It was more humanoid than anything she had seen before, but the skin, claws and pitch black eyes gave him away as something else – something that she couldn't readily identify.

The thing bowled over the first of the Lycans to reach it, others near it cowered, tucking tail and running from the humanoid. She realized that this was the thing that her warriors had been telling her of from the tunnels.

He appeared to her as if he was on the run, more pushing back the members of her pack than trying to fight them. Her thought was confirmed when vampires appeared from the same direction, raised their weapons, and opened fire on the creature and the pack members surrounding him. Several of her hunters went down; whines and cries filled the air at their pain. Another five shots connected with the blue skinned creature, one directly in the back of the head. The creature fell, but was still moving on the lawn – and the vampires were closing in.

She growled.

If the vampires wanted the creature dead, then perhaps he was worth making an ally - if he survived that many direct hits. She sprung forward, clearing the space quickly, dodging between her pack members in lithe and well practiced motions. She came to the man just as one of the vampires was running toward the creature. Straddling the limp body Seneca presented the side of her body snarling at the vampire, before scooping him up and running towards the perimeter.

A series of short howls from her throat signaled the Lycana to back off, the vampires had very obviously found another to lead. With the surprise thwarted and a concerted attack facing them, Seneca decided another day would be better to continue this.

She signaled the retreat to her pack as well - three short yips - before leaping the wall. Seneca didn't quite clear on the way out, lighting atop the fence and chancing a glance she noted that the dark haired vampire female looked distraught. The woman was trying to make it through the retreating pack toward her. One of the males turned and challenged her. The woman stopped, her face no longer lost, but determined.

The vampire's weapon came up and its bullet caught the werewolf between the eyes. He fell and didn't get up again. The vampire turned her gaze on Seneca, hatred easily read in the bright blue eyes. She raised her weapon once more, but Seneca wasn't about to give her the opportunity to shoot. Seneca leapt down with her booty in tow and disappeared into the darkness.

It occurred to her that she was rescuing Lucian's Legacy.


	5. Bereft

**Chapter Four: Bereft**

Selene met Michael's black eyes, completely understanding the dilemma her beau faced - with wolves at the door.

Try as she might, she was unable to come up with a plan that didn't leave him in danger. If he went out with the vampires then any positioning power with the pack would be lost. They would mark him as the enemy, and be done with him in short order. Fleetingly she considered leaving him here in the tomb. That plan however left him to the mercy of her coven mates, and that would also lead to harm – and not necessarily his. After all, he took on William – the first Werewolf – and won.

Neither option was acceptable to her.

He blinked and her gut fell, recognizing that he had formulated some kind of plan, or had come to a decision he was unable to share with her. Part of her wished she could get into his head when these things happened.

"Michael, no," She whispered, but it was too late.

The hybrid was already in motion, taking two long strides before gathering himself and leaping high over the gathered Death Dealers. Landing the other side of them, he slipped like a shadow through one of the smaller personnel doors.

"Damn it!"

"What is he doing?" Another chimed in.

Many of the vampires standing around glared at her as if it were her fault that Michael had bolted. She stood only a moment longer before she trailed Michael.

She cleared the end of the wall just in time to see Michael bowl over one of the Lycans coursing across the lawn. His impact with the Lycan had looked more incidental than an attack on the creature.

Michael was…fleeing.

A loud growl rent from his throat and several other Were's near him cowered and tried to flee.

"He's running!"

That was the same vampire who had derided the hybrid down in the tomb. Before Selene could protest or try to defend Michael he and several others lifted their weapons.

"No!" Her scream was drowned out by the sizzle of hot silver streaming past her. She twirled, witness to the bullets impacting Michael and several of the Lycans in his vicinity.

"Michael!"

The hybrid fell, sprawling across the lawn. There was feeble movement, but he didn't push up and run further. Fearing they had damaged him more than his power to heal could handle, Selene tried to move to him. Her movement seemed sucked into mire – she couldn't move fast enough. Before she had crossed the remaining space a silver furred Lycan burst through the crowd. Selene was unable to gather her wits long enough before the Lycan lifted Michael's limp form off the grass, slung him over a shoulder, and bolted for the fence. The thing let out several series of howls and yelps, and the Lycan's that were just coming into range of engaging the Death Dealers stopped in their tracks and turned tail.

She heard her own angered hiss, a pang ringing through her middle. She trailed the retreating Were, blinking when another, darker creature turned and stepped into her path.

There was no hesitation she raised her gun and ended the Lycan's life.

Once more she started after the silver and gray beast that held her reason for living – and for risking such a gamble as taking control of the factions. She raised her gun, only the creature was gone with Michael before she could find her aim.

"Sssss!"

She took out her frustration on several of the retreating Lycans still streaming past. And then she turned to the ones responsible for her losing Michael to the Lycans. This was not what she had envisioned for the plan. She strode back across the body littered lawn until she was toe to toe with the blonde haired vampire.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" She snarled.

"He was defecting…that fucking Lycan abomination was regressing."

Selene's hand snapped around his throat, "You had no orders!"

"You don't lead us Selene, no one does. You don't have authority here."

She squeezed tighter. "He was not a threat, Kala, and he wasn't running. If the Lycans kill him, I will desecrate the very ground you sleep on." It was bravado to be sure; she was convinced that he was trying to get away from them for those initial moments. But without the ability to communicate with him verbally she had no way of knowing if he had been fearful of the coven or something simpler than that. She didn't want to believe that Michael didn't trust her to keep him safe around the Death Dealers.

"He's dead already…no Lycan can withstand that many rounds of silver nitrate."

"He's not dead." They still didn't understand just how special and unique Michael truly was. "Not yet. The longer he stays with them the less likely it will be that they will allow him to live."

"Selene," Kahn addressed her. "If we want your boy back, we'd better act fast."

She blinked at the Weapons' Master, surprised to hear the support in his voice.

"Their trail will be lost."

"I know exactly where they are going."

Selene dropped her hold of the other vampire's windpipe, turning toward the wall. The images of the silver-gray Lycan lingered there, perched atop the wrought iron and mocking her.

"I need provisions," she spoke toward the wall, knowing at least Kahn would acknowledge her request. She turned to regard the group as she added, "Take me to the others Kahn."

Kala stepped between her and the Weapons' Master, "You're still a fugitive, Selene. You've broken the covenant, you've," he sniffed, "mated with the Lycan…you stink of it."

Selene had just about lost her control with the man when dark fingers latched onto the shoulders of his jacket, pulling him from her proximity.

"Kala," Kahn admonished.

Still Selene could not understand why Kahn was so eager to back her up. A thought ran through her brain, of her and Michael's conversation, of one word – deference. She looked about the other Death Dealers, noting that a majority of them were looking on her with awe, never meeting her eyes.

Was Michael right?

Did the blood show; did they see a quality in her that she had missed? Did they recognize that she was more than she seemed? Was there an inherent leadership quality that they were responding to?

She didn't voice this epiphany, afraid to break the spell. She had never been a leader; she had never had more than herself and her teammates to worry about in her life. She had insisted that she wanted this, and yet she found herself questioning the pedigree that made that leadership possible.

"I'll take you there," Kahn nodded. "You ain't gonna like what you see, love."

* * *

Half an hour later they came upon a crumbling building, and Selene recognized it immediately as the safe-house where she had first hid Michael - before her world came crashing down around her ears.

"Why didn't the coven move to Amelia's house?"

"A combination of things," Kahn sighed as the party moved up the creaking stairs and avoiding the water drooling down through the broken roof, "Mostly confusion. Some don't want to lose the power base they feel is still here, others want revenge. I don't think all of them know that Marcus was responsible for our outing. I've heard rumblings that the Lycans masterminded the fire."

"They don't think tactically," Selene sniffed. That attitude was met by a pang that told her she had just insulted a part of what Michael was. It was too soon to so easily let go of her prejudice against their cousins.

"You think Marcus was being tactical?"

"No," Selene answered him, "He was being vengeful. The children he had helped to spawn had brokered for a power play, and his life was to be sacrifice. I think I would have done the same in his situation."

"That's awfully hypocritical considering you are the one who slew him. I see a trend here Selene." Kala was quick to jump on the connection. "Being that you were also the one to kill Viktor. Are you sure we can trust that she wasn't in on Amelia's death as well?"

Selene spun, driving the butt of her palm into Kala's nose. "That was Kraven's doing Kala, do not insult me by including my name with that rancid piece of filth."

Kala stumbled back grabbing his bleeding nose and glaring at her through watering eyes.

"But you were supposed to be his queen." another of the Death Dealers spoke, "How could you not know about his plans?"

"I was his queen only in his mind," Selene snarled, "I was a token, a chess piece not a fellow conspirer. His delusions of grandeur are what got him killed. Marcus didn't take kindly to his bid for more power."

All further conversation was halted as she came out at the top floor, a former penthouse that had long since lost its glory. She stopped only long enough to peer about and locate the remaining stash of weaponry still available to the coven. She stepped across the space intent on replenishing her spent arsenal.

She was cut off from her objective by a burly vampire that had been a former guard for Kraven, "You need to come with me, Selene."

"What now?"

"Just come along."

With a heavy sigh and a singing in her gut that she shouldn't delay she fell in behind the contingent of vampires sent to escort her by - well she would like to know who.

"Well, well," a familiar voice said, "Looked what the weather blew in."

"Erika."

"Selene"

"What's this all about? I have someplace to be."

"The gallows come to mind."

Selene pursed her lips, and she renegotiated her thoughts on the deference theory.

"The Death Dealers are telling me you have laid claim to the coven – is this true?"

Selene rolled her eyes, not in the mood to deal with this sort of thing so soon. "There are bigger things right now than your petty politics, Erika."

"Like some unholy alliance with the Lycans?"

"I wouldn't say unholy. I just know that the war has long outlived it original purpose. The perpetrators have both gone to dust."

"And you would be the one to bring the factions peace?"

"Erika, I do not like repeating myself."

"And who decided you were fit to lead us?" That wasn't Erika it was another of her cronies - a syncophant from the times when she used to fawn over Kraven for some scrap of affection or acknowledgement.

"What is this? It is obvious that you haven't found leadership since I have been absent. Just your choice of hiding places tells me that. What is your protest? I am the oldest remaining vampire in the Coven."

"No, Kahn is older than you," Erika corrected.

"I don't wish to lead."

Selene turned to find that Kahn had as silently as ever insinuated himself into this meeting.

"Selene has more than ample experience in leading, I think the coven would be improved for her heading the council."

"She is tainted! She loves that Lycan - she wants to deal with them! Her association with that mongrel has turned her against her own, and you want her to lead us?"

"Are you done?" Selene allowed her impatience to bleed through.

"No!" Erika pouted.

"You are now," Selene turned from her and her pending tantrum, "We can discuss this _after _I return."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"If you must know – to get Michael back."

There was a screech at her back, and she felt Kahn restrain Erika as she tried to attack.

_Be thankful for that Erika, you don't understand…you will, but you don't yet._


	6. Pack Dynamics

**Chapter Five: Pack Dynamics**

Lucian's memories reigned more often than not anytime Michael's consciousness slipped. Blurred and half remembered images flit through his head, like a bad recording, once clear and again distorted.

_Woods surrounded him, tall stately trees that had never seen an axe. Lucian moved through it with the steady ground eating pace that Lycans were good for. It was dark out, but the full moon filtered down through the intertwined boughs giving him a patchwork of blue-white light that augmented his night vision. He was looking for someone, an elusive one who called these woods home. The creature he was seeking had a reputation in this area, and Werewolf stories abounded through the local villages. _

_He smiled, something that translated into a wolfish snarl as he picked up the trail leading deeper into the stand of trees. The creature was close. Lucian slowed as he approached a clearing, his sharp hearing picking out the sounds of shuffling, snuffling, and the low woofs of the Lycan muttering to itself._

_Lucian observed the creature for a bit, its back was to him, and the fur of the Lycan nearly glowed in the soft light spilling down from on high, the silver white seeming to gain life under the beams. He could now smell the fresh blood of the evening's kill. His stomach rumbled in answer, and he realized that he hadn't yet eaten. That and his burgeoning need to recruit this Lycan moved him out into the moonlit opening._

_The other Lycan froze, ears snapping back, and its head followed, all teeth exposed. Lucian froze where he stood, his poise remained neutral as it rose to its feet and rolled its shoulders forward, and its crooked fingers locked for battle. Lucian met her eyes steadily, sure of his superiority over this lone Were._

_The other stopped just short of where he stood, roaring a protest of his intrusion on her meal. He realized she was just what he needed, his trump to win over the factions that had been scattered through the woods after the defection. She was as strong in will as she was physically._

_He allowed his gaze to lower just a little, his ears to droop slightly. He whined in a show of passiveness. The ploy stunned her, and she relaxed from her defensive stance. She extended her neck sniffing the air, taking in the scent of him, her teeth just inches from his now exposed throat. Lucian was giving his trust to her, and hoped it would be enough to at least get the chance to talk to her._

_She backed away, no longer regarding him, returning to the meal she had been interrupted from. Lucian followed her at a respectful distance, lowering himself onto his haunches and watching her as she ate. He was careful to look away when she turned her gaze on him, not wishing to illicit a fight._

_The focus slipped, images slurred together until one was muddled with the next. When real time resumed some time had passed because Lucian was again in human form, and so was the other Lycan. They were walking amongst the leaves of the autumn trees and chatting. She was beautiful, the woman Lucian was with, with a fall of dark hair surrounding a pale face. Golden eyes peeked between long strands._

_He said her name, conversing in that same well bred voice Michael could remember from their short conversation in the tunnels.

* * *

_

Before more could be shown to him, Michael rose towards consciousness, and pain filled the spots where Lucian's memories had been. A groan escaped his lips, the agony centered just above where his neck and skull met. He turned his head at the same time he raised a hand to the spot. It came away wet and one eye snapped open as he drew his fingers into view.

An audible sigh escaped him as he noted it wasn't blood. Residual silver nitrate ran down the length of his index finger, and his eyes slid shut. He could still remember the last time he had been shot like that, the pain that had consumed him from the inside out. The slow death of tissue as the silver reacted with his Lycan blood and shut his systems down one by one. That was before Selene bit him, turned him into a hybrid the likes of which neither house had ever seen. That disadvantage no longer held sway on him – he couldn't voice how happy he was for that. Dying twice was enough.

_You better know what you're doing._

Leaving Selene's side hadn't been easy for him. He knew he was new to this world, and that he was probably only aware enough of the rules to get into trouble. He wouldn't have done it but for the idea that he would be unable to do any negotiating with the Dens if he were found to be consorting with the covens. He hoped that Selene would be okay without him there. He comforted himself with the knowledge that Selene had been dealing with Coven politics longer than he had been alive.

His musing was cut short as the smell cut through his senses – Lycans!

The reaction was instantaneous; his body shifted form as he pushed up and flipped backwards off the surface he had been lying on. He landed some feet back, his shoulders already rolled forward and his fingers locked. He was ready for a fight should it come to that.

He was in a small cul de sac, but it was furnished in such a way that Michael had the illusion he was in some castle someplace. He knew that wasn't true, he remembered this smell, even if he had never been familiar with the place. He was back in the tunnels.

"Whoa," a pleasant voice said.

His eyes shot across the space finding a dark haired woman leaned casually onto one wall.

"There's no need for that."

Michael blinked, tilting his head to one side.

"You're among friends."

He allowed his skin to slip back into place, realizing that she looked familiar. The golden eyes gave her away.

"I'm…"

"Seneca," Michael said without thought, the name slipping to the top of his mind.

She blinked in consternation, "How is it you know me?"

Michael's hand went unconsciously to his left shoulder, "Lucian…"

He watched her straighten further.

"He was the one who…marked me."

She actually grimaced at him. "You have…Lucian's…memories?"

Michael nodded, "Though they don't always make a lot of sense. He has…memories of you."

"But," Seneca stepped closer, "What are you? The warriors were right, you smell Lycan, but your form…"

She shook her head relaying her confusion.

"My name is Michael Corvin." He didn't understand why he trusted her with his name, but another part of him knew that just that much would explain a lot.

Her eyes widened more, "You were the one he was speaking of. You're the Corvinus Heir?"

"Reluctantly so," Michael bobbed his head. He was happy when she went off on another tangent and didn't follow that line of conversation through to its logical conclusion.

"Why were you running from the vampires?"

Michael blinked, "I wasn't running."

"Could've fooled me."

"That was the intention."

He once again struck Seneca dumb.

"I needed to get in contact with the pack."

"You managed that beautifully," her attitude had come back and quickly, "Why?"

"The war," Michael pushed forward, "Lucian started it because of the vampire Sonja."

"I know."

He let that comment sidetrack him a moment, "You knew, but, I got the impression that…"

"There wasn't love at the start of it." She answered, "I was…"

"A power play." Michael finished, remembering the first part of the vision.

"Yes," She nodded, "He needed a…mate, another Alpha to the pair in order to gather the dregs together - to form some semblance of a threat against the vampires. He came to love me…in his way…as the centuries dragged forward."

"Why would that matter?" Michael had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut as the question fell from his lips.

She grinned. "You don't know much about pack dynamics do you?"

His embarrassment made his smile charming. "I've not been a part of the Underworld very long."

"How much do you know about wolves, Michael?"

He shrugged, "A little, only what Wild Kingdom and Animal Planet had to offer."

Seneca laughed, "Wolves have a very structured family unit. That unit is led by the strongest pair of dogs, the Alpha pair. There are other pairs, but the Alpha has dibs on meals, on litters born - they make the major decisions for the pack. Lycans are much the same in most respects."

Michael swallowed, that didn't sound good at all – not when he was looking to lead this pack, this time to peace. Then he realized that in all of his previous encounters with the Lycans he had only seen the males. He voiced this observation to his host.

She looked away, "If you have Lucian's memories you should know this part already."

"I told you they don't all come through making sense. They don't come through at all when I am conscious."

"No I suppose not."

She moved a little ways off, the loose shift she wore sliding around her body. When she sat down again there was a pensive expression on her face, "Lucian lost most of us – the women – when he struck his deal to fly under the radar. Many of us were trapped in the castle as Kraven burned it to the ground."

"Were you?"

She pinned him with those golden eyes, "Not that you could tell, but yes…I barely escaped with my hide intact."

She punched the mattress in frustration.

"Before that we had fought side by side with our men, just as proud and wanting freedom just as much as Lucian did - as the men did. Scared for the pure lines, he hid the remaining women away, denied us the right to fight for our survival the way we had done for decades. As he worked under the guise of being dead, he started to gather his forces. He wanted an army, one strong enough that he could strike a fatal blow to the vampire covens. To his mind, the only way that could happen without risking the women, was to upset the balance of the pack and recruit only men."

Michael's nod was a slow understanding one. Such a statement explained a lot.

"Did you…have any children?"

"A few," Seneca sighed, "only to have them hunted down and slaughtered by the Death Dealers. I don't know if any of my kin have survived to the present. Most of them were born in my old home, before we came here to Budapest. In his search for the Corvinus heir, family became a secondary consideration for Lucian."

For some reason such a statement made Michael feel guilty – as if he had some kind of control over Lucian's obsession with him.

"So what does the war have to do with you?" Seneca found the center of the argument like a dart.

"I want to help stop it."

"Why?"

"Do you realize how close our kind is to extinction."

"You would include yourself among us? That is bold for one who has not even asked permission to be a member of _my_ pack."

Michael straightened, afraid that he might have assumed too much, "I was Lycan before…before becoming what I am now."

"So you admit then that you're not truly Lycan."

"You've seen. You know I'm not."

"What happened to you?"

"I died?" It was a poor explanation - a complete understatement, but he knew it was the truth.

She blinked for many long moments, "And then?"

"Selene brought me back."

"Who is Selene?"

He found himself surprised that this Lycan didn't know who she was, "She's a…was a…Death Dealer."

Seneca snarled, leaping up from the bed and stepping back from him, "You've…you're in league with the vampires?"

He saw her start to shift, "Don't…I'm not here to fight. I don't want to hurt you."

She seemed amused by that, but it thwarted her transformation, "You hold yourself in high esteem. I've never heard such brass from a newly marked Lycan."

"I fought the vampire elder Viktor - I've… battle the oldest Lycan, William, and won. I've died twice now and come back to life. I honestly don't think you stand much of a chance against what I can do Seneca – even if I'm a 'newbie' to all this."

A brow rose over her golden eye. "Impressive."

"I'm not in league with the vampires," He continued now that he had her attention. "Selene is an outcast, a fugitive from her coven. She saved my life that first time in return of a favor. Even she didn't know the repercussions of mixing the two viruses."

Michael knew he was tailoring the truth here, but he needed Seneca's help if he was going to win over the den.

"The form I assume is – hybridized – as much vampire as it is Lycan." He couldn't help the thought that it was such an analytical account of something still so odd to him.

She regarded him for long moments. He could almost see the gears turning behind those gorgeous eyes. He had to shake his head to stop the train of thought that started while observing her beauty and grace.

"How would you help stop the war? Would you fight on the Lycan side?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"There has to be a peaceful solution, with Lucian and Viktor dead, there must be a way to rebuild trust."

"I will not become a slave. I never was and I won't start…I'd rather die first."

"Never – as equals."

"You are asking for a lot."

"All I am asking right now is the opportunity to make the Lycans see the logic to a truce."

"You want to lead us." Her eyes narrowed, and Michael had a hard time discerning whether it was in anger or in mirth, "You truly are an ambitious one. You don't even recognize my rank. Any other whelp pulling this stunt would deserve a stern reprimand."

"I don't fear you Seneca. I respect your position but you are not my superior."

She rose, approaching him, and he made himself stand still, even when she invaded his space. Up close he could smell the scent of her skin, like ginger and paprika, sharp and yet tantalizing to his nose. She was taking in slow draughts of his scent as well, and against his will his body tried to respond to her.

"You do know what you're asking, don't you?"

"For Alpha of the pack." His voice had grown husky.

"You know what that entails."

"I'm afraid I do."

She laid warm hands on his bare chest. "You say that like it is a bad thing."

He shook his head, breaking the spell and stepping back from her. When he had some distance, control on his marauding hormones, and tempered his tone of voice he said, "I can't give you an answer to that – not now. I will have to consider it first."

A hurt expression moved across Seneca's face, but she nodded once and retreated from him a bit, "You have feelings for the vampire - Selene?"

"I do."

She drew in a breath through her nose, her eyes were glossy. "Lucian said much the same words to me. How he couldn't love another after Sonja. I proved him wrong, perhaps his love for me wasn't the same caliber as it was for her, but he came to love me just the same."

"I can't make that kind of commitment, Seneca. Unlike Sonja, Selene is still alive."

"Then I will lose my standing." Her head came up so high she was looking down her nose at him. It was a proud and defiant stance. "I must find an Alpha male or else I will get kicked out of the pack. Leverage will be lost."

She shrugged and turned away from him. She didn't go far, lighting on a desktop, crossing her arms, and regarding him again.

"My Beta is in good position for succession, but she may not be willing to treat with you over this. It would only be harder for you to gain the control you think you need. You would have to fight her mate for the Alpha position."

"I don't want it to come to that."

"My way, you get it without a fight." She smiled; it was a pained expression, "I would be honored to have you as my Alpha male."

"I will consider it." Michael tried to sound non-committal, "For now, Seneca, will you accept me into your den?"

Her brows rose in surprise, his courtesy seeming to catch her off guard.

She sighed through her nose, "Probation would be in order, considering what you are. Should the pack show undue animosity, I will be unable to allow you to stay."

"I can deal with that."


	7. Power Plays

**Chapter Six: Power Plays**

"Are you done?" Selene sniped.

"No!" Erika tried to regain control of the situation. She thought she was in charge of this discussion, and Selene was making her look like a fool.

"You are now. We can discuss this _after _I return."

Selene turned her back on the blonde, ignoring her evident anger.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erika snapped.

"If you must know – to get Michael back." She only glanced over her shoulder at Erika.

The insult sent Erika over the edge. Screeching she leapt off of the divan where she had been seated, lunging for Selene's back. She was intent on killing the Death Dealer and be done with her "better than thou" attitude. Before she had cleared the space there were hands on her, restraining her and drawing her back from Selene's retreating form.

She hissed and snarled struggling to get past Kahn. Other hands added to Kahn's attempt to stop her assault, until no forward movement was attainable.

"Calm yourself, Erika. The traitor isn't worth it." She peered over to see Monique on her left arm, her face emotionless.

She relaxed in the combined grip of four vampires standing about her. She glared at Kahn - the last to let her free. His expression was grim as he backed away from her. He was free of her reach before he too turned and left the residence.

Monique smoothed Erika's hair with one cool hand, drawing the blonde's attention back to her. The dark haired woman's smile was supposed to be comforting, but only incensed Erika more.

"Monique, Carl, come with me."

She twirled on her high heels, her anger reflecting in the stiffness of her stance. She made her way into the once opulent bedroom she had claimed for her own since retreating here from the mansion.

* * *

"What is it Erika?" Carl asked once the doors were firmly shut behind them.

"She is going to pose a problem for us," Erika tried to tell herself that there wasn't a pouty tone to her voice as she announced this.

"Even if her claim is true, the coven will never accept her as our leader - she isn't anywhere close to being elder material," Monique spouted.

"Don't patronize me, Monique," Erika snarled, realizing somewhere deep down she sounded exactly like Kraven in that moment. "She already has Kahn on her side, and that means the remaining Death Dealers will fall in line soon enough."

"What is it you plan to do about her then?" Carl quested once more.

"She will be a while in reclaiming her 'beau.' I want to firm our position as much as possible before her return." She really meant her own position, but these two were key to any ascension within the coven right now. She could be just as patronizing, without being so open at it. She knew that was her mistake with Kraven, fawning at his feet like some lowly dog. No wonder he rejected her so readily. No man wanted something so easy to attain.

She shook her head to loosen the grip of that thought before going on.

"Solicit the others; I want to know precisely where each one stands on Selene's presence among us."

"What of the rumors of her 'purification?'"

"What of them?"

"Aren't you worried that she will be more dangerous with Corvinus' powers?"

She shook her blond hair free of the high collar of her shirt. "I think that will be one more lever to oust her, honestly."

"How so?"

"Well if she is no longer a vampire, how can she expect to lead us?"

"But…"

"She can no longer relate to our plight. She has already forsaken the coven and the covenant. This is just one more step she has taken to distance herself from our kind. I think the others will agree if it is approached in such a manner."

"Clever, Erika."

She let Monique stroke her ego this once. "I know."

"We'll start immediately."

"Good." She stepped up, leaning into Carl, her proximity suggestive of the rewards for his loyalty. She kissed him deeply, her tongue slipping between his retracted canines. He was receptive to her advance, and she used his lust for her against him.

She caught Monique squeezing into her view, her simpering features longing to be included in the planned orgy later. Erika broke off the kiss with Carl, staring meaningfully into his eyes. She then twisted her upper body toward the other woman, pulling her closer to their intertwined bodies. "Later my lovelies, we shall celebrate later."

Monique's face brightened considerably.

Erika watched her compatriots in this coup as they oozed out the door to do her bidding. Her surety collapsed as the click announced she was again alone.

"That bitch!"

She wanted to tear the bedroom apart, refraining only because she knew there was no replacing the items any time in the near future.

Hadn't Selene gotten enough of the things that Erika always wanted?

Selene had always been Viktor's favorite…his dark child. Erika had been envious since being instated into the coven that such a lowly creature was given such high status among their group. Viktor doted over Selene, gave her everything she ever wanted, even if it was only for petty revenge. Erika was possessed of a streak of jealousy, wanting such attention for herself.

That was the thing that had drawn her to Kraven, he was in a position of power, in such a status that she could get a pale reflection of the spoiling that Selene had always taken for granted.

Yet even Kraven objectified Selene.

All of Erika's fawning, and simpering, and flinging herself at the regent's feet had drawn her no attention except that of a servant girl in the castle. Only now did she resent that kind of treatment, now when it was too late to change all the things that happened. She had been willing to do anything to share a place of power at his side. He had kicked her to the curb for all of her effort, wanting Selene even when she had proved time and again that she wanted nothing to do with the man.

All the things that Erika ever wanted in this immortal life had been stolen from her by that bitch Selene.

And what kind of gratitude did Selene show any of them? Her dark father died at Selene's hands. Kraven was exposed in his plot to take over power, by Selene's obsession, and Marcus killed him for it.

Now Erika wanted the power that came with leadership of the coven. She knew she could do it, she had the contacts and the network, she had people in key places to assist her and who supported her.

And just like everything else Erika ever wanted in life, Selene threatened to take it from her.

"Not this time," she vowed. This time she would keep what she wanted, no matter what it cost her to do so.


	8. Just Comfortable Enough

**Chapter Seven: Just Comfortable Enough…**

Seneca walked alongside Michael, taking it upon herself to show him about the labyrinth that was the Underworld. She watched his actions carefully as he was forced to interact with the other Lycan's in the den. His reserved nature amused her in a way, but she knew if he continued, he was going to be challenged.

He'd learn soon enough.

Much more interesting was most of the pack's reactions to him. As they moved through the tunnels they encountered other Lycans in pairs and small groups. She had expected hostility as she introduced him to key pack members. Without exception the Were's cowered respectfully and wouldn't meet his eyes. Seneca was unsure if it was because of his reputation after the battle with the vampire elder, or they sensed something else. She had felt some sway as a result of his pedigree herself, though he was unconscious of the power he held over her den.

Michael became flustered by their deference, begging them not to stoop before him. In several instances he pulled them to their feet and asked them to look at him. Inwardly she was groaning, knowing that this was going to become a problem sooner than she thought.

Seneca pulled him aside when they had a break between introductions.

"Don't," she growled.

"Don't what?"

"If you are serious about leading us you cannot show that kind of weakness."

"It's not weak…"

"In this world," Seneca snarled, cutting him off, "not all are equal. You lose status each time you treat them as if they were on level with you. You will find yourself challenged if you continue to do so. What you are doing is nearly as bad as exposing your throat to a rival."

He seemed shocked by her words, and she frowned at his reaction.

"Stop thinking like a human, Michael. The social order of the pack is nothing like what you are used to. There is no equal rights movement here, no level playing field. You either learn that, or you will be ousted before you can get your feet under you."

"I'm beginning to see that."

His interactions improved but she could tell it was against his very nature to act so harshly to another being. She caught his eye rolling, and his grimaces. His expressions were guilty each time she locked his gaze. The others would sense this as well - the reluctance to be the disciplinarian of their group would give them leverage over him.

"How is it you beat William?" She posed as they came to the main chamber.

He glared at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're not a fighter – you show no comfort for the warrior's way. What did you do before you were marked?"

She noted his reluctance to respond, "I was…a medical intern."

Her eyes ached as her pupils narrowed sharply, "You were a savior, I see. That explains a lot."

He looked as if she had found a flaw in him, and he didn't like her assessment.

"Down here such caring is a weakness."

"Seneca, I've had my share of fights since then. I've held my own. The power is there - when I need it."

She inclined her head, "You had better start anticipating better when it is needed then. You will be challenged for dominance, I would say before the day is out."

"I don't see a point in letting what I have become change who I am!"

His frustration with the inevitability of her statement was evident. Seneca saw a flicker of the power he was speaking of flit across the backs of his brown eyes. She needed to push him a bit harder to bring it closer to the surface. It was the only way she was going to prepare him for what he would face. The man was obviously too hard headed to actually listen to what she was saying.

"Then you will not lead this pack, none will have a weak Alpha take charge."

"Is power so much about brute strength among you? I don't believe that's the case."

She blinked, startled by the statement and then looked away from that angry and intent expression.

"It used to be that strength was only a part of it. Cunning, smarts, and wisdom had equal footing with physical prowess…before."

"Before Lucian upset the balance. Damn it, Seneca don't you think the time has more than passed to restore that balance?"

"Peace would have to be attained first. We cannot continue the war and try to restore the women to equal standing. The vampires cannot know that the women exist yet, they would most certainly target them for the Death Dealers to take down. Even if we can hide the women, pups cannot be raised in the environment that we find ourselves in now."

Her eyes strayed to the dreary surroundings.

"Are you really so few now?"

"This den has a total of six Lycana. Six – for a hundred plus men. It's no wonder the men fight so often, they have no where else to place their energy."

Michael looked curious a moment.

Her voice dropped so low she was having a hard time hearing herself. "Each Lycana is mated to one of the pure borne lines, what's left of them. Lucian's fodder are on their own. They are made to take precautions mind you. The last thing we need is a rash of half-bloods running through the streets of Budapest."

She sighed, "It will be a long time before balance can come about again. The men need to be broken up, sent away, or killed. Only when the war ends can we even consider starting."

He appeared pained at her choices for evening out the numbers. He did not voice his discomfort, saying instead, "You have to trust that I can help that happen."

"You'll forgive my pessimism, Michael. I have heard too many similar claims to put much faith in your enthusiasm. Lucian's plan sounded more than a little tempting as well. You know how that ended."

It was Michael's turn to look away. "I want the opportunity to try."

She paused mid-step and gazed at him, "Does that mean you have come to a decision?"

It was too much to ask, and she knew it.

"Uh, no."

She grinned at his consternation.

Further discussion was cut off as angry snarls echoed across the expanse.

_What now?_

Seneca spun catching sight of two males locked in mortal battle. She glimpsed over to catch Michael's fascinated expression as the two proceeded to cut each other to shreds. She then moved through the melee around the two, satisfied when the crowd parted at the sense of her approach. Michael was one step behind her. She had to give him credit, he didn't back down easily. He was implying something by sticking so close to her, something she didn't mention to him. After all Seneca wanted him as her Alpha, so she was not going to discourage the unspoken assumption she saw in the pack members. To them he was already Alpha, or at least – to most of them.

She was interested to see how Michael would react to the fight she was about to bust up – the blood and the violence. As she broke through the inner ring of the audience, she heard one of the lesser males cut Michael's approach off.

Here it came.

"Where do you think you're going? This isn't your business."

Seneca spun. The two killing each other was suddenly the lesser of her interests. She saw Marko facing down the hybrid.

Michael was glaring down at the restraining hand on his bare chest. The Lycan across from him was taller and heavier set than Michael in his human form. There was a momentary lost look in Michael's eyes, but Seneca noted his glance her direction. After he caught her eye he squared his shoulders and met the challenger's gaze.

"You sure do place yourself pretty high up the order for someone not yet recognized as a pack member."

And here Seneca thought news traveled fast, this one was obviously not in the "in" crowd.

Marko also squared up his frame trying to cower the young man. Marko was nowhere near the top of the pecking order, but that only meant he had more to prove to himself and his fellow Lycans regarding his worth. Picking on the new guy was great sport for so lowly a warrior, and an easy way to move at least a notch up the organizational structure.

"Standin' there next to our Alpha like you own her. There are many more worthy candidates than you standing in this crowd tonight."

Michael didn't back down, which surprised Seneca. Considering his earlier actions, she had expected him to give berth to the other Lycan. Perhaps she had sold his determination to fit in short.

"I think Seneca can make her own decisions about a Lycan's worth – friend."

"You think you have Alpha locked don't you, freak?"

Seneca could barely hear Michael's voice. He was speaking low, and the cacophony at her back threatened to drown out the conversation. "You've got a choice, suggest you make the right one. Move aside."

"You ain't tough."

She saw Michael smile, his eyes bleeding until they were black from corner to corner, "Really? Then let's see who can slip their skin faster."

Seneca stood straighter, hearing the heat in the hybrid's words.

The Lycan roared his challenge and Michael's response was instantaneous.

She had been impressed by the young man's ability to slide into his alter form before. Seneca had figured it was only because she was surprised by his awakening that she imagined his speed earlier. He proved in that show that her assumption was wrong. Michael morphed within seconds to that blue skinned humanoid form she had first seen on the burned out grounds of the mansion. She catalogued his features in one pass of her golden eyes, noting what looked vampiric, and what most certainly was Lycan about his form. She was sure she would never forget his appearance – ever.

He returned the challenge, a snarl that shook the bricks above them. As the sound died, Seneca noted that the entire area had fallen silent. The Lycan who had posed the challenge halted mid-transformation and was staring at the enraged creature across from him.

Michael – once more surprising Seneca - took no pity on the challenger. He cleared the space between them in a blur that she didn't quite catch. Her eyes were unable to track his movements. Michael came to a stop some distance from Marko, standing among a knot of her den. The Lycans around him parted company as quickly as they could get their feet under them, unsure where he came from and most certainly not interested in becoming collateral damage to the fight. Michael turned to face the Lycan in a deliberate motion, and the challenger mirrored him.

On the Lycan's face there was pained surprise, and as the man straightened, Seneca noted gouges on his body that started on his left cheek and extended all the way to his right hip. She jumped when his entrails spilled from between the parallel gashes to slap wetly on the floor. As if they were an anchor, his legs buckled and his knees hit the damp floor with a bony thunk.

Michael started for him again, and Seneca made herself move, she'd seen plenty, "Enough!"

She inserted herself between the hybrid and her downed pack member.

Michael glared at her, meeting her eyes as an equal would. A bare flicker of irritation flared in her gut at his audacity, but it was gone again, longing followed in its wake.

"We are few enough in number now. We need not do the vampires any more favors." She placed a hand on the leathery skin of one shoulder, "Let him heal, he's learned his lesson."

She noted his slight nod as he stepped back from her, consenting to her judgment. Seneca twirled until she was facing Marko. His transformation was slower than normal; his scream of pain a testimony to how agonizing this kind of healing was for a Lycan. Soon it was the bellow of a wounded beast. That sound died out as the transformation began to heal the damage inflicted by the pack's newest member.

When he had once more assumed his human form, with not even a scar to show for his fight, Seneca returned her attention to the hybrid. He had not relaxed his stance nor had he shifted back into his human skin. He was expecting more fight, probably from other members gathered around. Michael's gaze moved about the crowd, challenging any of the remaining audience to meet his eyes.

If there was any question before in Seneca's or the other members of the pack's mind, Michael had just proven his right to lead. She wondered if he knew what message he had just sent to his future supplicants. He had assumed the role of Alpha whether he agreed to it or not. He had cemented his choice with action instead of words. In the eyes of the pack he was now their leader.

She was about to pull him aside and talk to him, when the silence was interrupted by the sound of gunfire deeper into the tunnels.


	9. To the Rescue?

**Chapter Eight: To the Rescue?**

Selene was quick about getting replacements for her empty clips, and, not bothering to slow down, she headed back downstairs. She was nearly to the lobby again when Kahn caught up to her.

She chambered rounds into each before slipping them into their holsters. In the next step she spun to confront the other vampire. He stopped before he invaded the inches of space between them. His look was determined and without glancing at it he chambered his own weapon.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"You t'ink I am just going to let you walk back into the den on your own?"

"That was the plan, yes."

"I don't care what power Corvinus gave you, you're not strong enough to take on even the dregs of that pack."

"Watch me. You're not going, Kahn. I thought you were dead once already, I'll not risk that happening again."

"A'm a Death Dealer just like you are, Selene, I know the risks."

She slanted a hip. "Honestly Kahn, this is a personal issue. I don't expect you to risk you life _and_ your reputation for me. I'm not in the lead yet."

"I'd rather have you in charge than Erika."

He fell silent, shifting feet. "I'd be careful…she's got a taste for power. She's gonna be a problem for you if you're not careful."

"I know exactly what Erika is about. I most certainly ready for anything she has planned."

"I wouldn' underestimate her."

"I'm not. But right now, I _have_ to get Michael away from the den."

"Is he truly worth all this?"

"He is to me."

Kahn considered her for a while, crossing his arms.

"I'm going."

"You're not."

"You're losing time Selene, you can either take me or I follow you. I know where you're going as well as you do."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine. Just remember to follow my lead."

"Always love."

* * *

The drive over to the closest entrance was completed in silence between the two Death Dealers. For Selene the time was spent pondering Kahn's words. The warning about Erika's vie for power was vexing. She always knew the blonde was power hungry, but she had always struck Selene as a hanger-on. She seemed to gravitate to any vampire who was higher up the chain than the last. Never would Selene have dreamed that she wished to be the one with all the power. Kraven had been one in a long line of power plays for Erika. Selene had even seen her blatant attempts to win some affection from Viktor.

What would she do if what Kahn said was true?. Would she have the fortitude to dispatch resistant coven members if this struggle for leadership came to that?

She released those thoughts like white doves into the sky, centering once more on the here and now, not the possible future. She whipped the car into a slot at the curb and was out of the car before the engine had fully died.

Kahn joined her in short order, readying his weapon and looking at her intently, "So wha's the plan?"

"Stay close, stay silent. I don't want confrontation unless the Lycans start it."

"Tha's against my nature and you know it."

"And mine, but we are trying to rescue Michael, not start another battle in the war. We're trying to find a peaceful solution to all this."

"You sound as if your hybrid friend had a reason to run from the mansion."

"I don't like it when you're so astute about my personal life Kahn."

He smiled at her, "I've known you too long."

She snorted, "I think he ran to the Lycans intentionally."

"To what end?"

"At a guess?"

He raised one brow over his glasses.

"He wanted to prove he could win their faction over. He and I…disagreed on how best to approach this vexing little problem. There was something in his eyes at the mansion, something he couldn't tell me, as the Lycans attacked. The Death Dealers reacted exactly as expected for his move – and I think he knew they would. I think he wanted them to. They solidified his 'persecuted' status to that band of Lycans."

"So you think he's still alive then?"

"I'm not sure anything can actually kill him, Kahn."

"Whadda ya' mean, Selene." He looked confused on this point.

She sighed.

"I made Michael what he is. He's Corvinus' heir." To his incredulous look she said, "The stories were true; Michael is one of the human descendants of the line. Lucian bit him first, as a way to return him to the Lycan fold. Kraven – shot him with the silver nitrate rounds that you created. He was dying, and I didn't know how to save him."

"You really love the bloke don't you?" Kahn's face scrunched up.

She didn't answer, but she could feel the tears welling in her eyes at the memory of that night. "I am the one who bit him, who combined the vampire virus with his already burgeoning Lycan strain. Instead of killing him, the virus changed, perfectly balancing the two strains in something completely new. Since that time I watched him die at Marcus' hands, and...I watched him come back to life. I'm beginning to wonder if he is invincible."

"And what does that mean for you then? I mean, you said Corvinus' blood runs in your veins now."

"I…I don't know yet, Kahn."

Heavy silence fell between them, and Selene looked to the shadowy dank grate that she planned to use as an entrance to the Underworld.

"It'll be a miracle if we make it in and out without being detected, love."

"I know, but we need to keep the mayhem to a minimum. As I said, we're trying to stop the war, keep that in mind."

"Right."

Selene drew both of her weapons, allowing her arms to fall to her side as she turned away from her partner. She stepped up to the grating that kept unwanted visitors out of the sewers under the ancient city. Though the two were silent, they had played this war game too many times. Kahn knew her every move, and followed through with an equally predicted reaction. In this case he moved past her, pulling the grate up and clearing the tunnel below them.

He stepped back and nodded, lifting his barrel until it was pointed in a safe direction. She returned the acknowledgement, lowering herself into the hold and dropping to the tunnel floor. She cleared the landing area, pressing herself against the wall of the cul-de-sac until she heard Kahn land a moment later. She twitched her head forward, and Kahn slipped past her, weapon shouldered and sweeping the shadowy areas of cubbys and other possible hiding places for Lycan soldiers. He paused and waved her forward. She spun backpedaling as she covered their rear.

Selene plastered herself against the wall opposite Kahn and they shared a knowing look. They had both missed this; they had always worked well together.

Her anxiety rose as their slow progress brought them closer to the section of tunnels that she had run into the Lycan hordes last. She wasn't sure what she was going to find here. Her bravado, and the idea that Michael had done all this to her on purpose, did nothing to calm her fear that he might be lying in a heap someplace bleeding his life out on the slime covered stones. She drew a breath, refusing to believe that Michael could be so easily dispatched as that.

She strained her ears as she listened for the snarls and howling, or even just voices that tipped her off to the pack Lucian had done an astounding job of hiding from the vampires. Selene heard nothing…not even a whisper of a sentry carried to her ears.

Where were they?

"They're not here," Kahn breathed in her ear.

"I know," Selene managed to snap without raising her voice above his quiet uttering.

"It makes sense. This was the site of a major battle. They would be unwise to linger here."

"But there were no reports of exodus either. They have to be down here somewhere."

"Aye, I agree. But we're going to have to do a little bit more reconnoiter if we expect to pick up their trail."

"So much for this being 'easy.'"

"Easy bores you, Selene."

"Valid point."

She regarded him with a smile. "Shall we?"

"Let's."

They were on the move again, their progress quick and silent as the grave. Selene gave over to that sense in her. That is, the same feeling came over her as the last time she was here. Something that infallibly led her to Michael where he was trapped strapped to a gurney and threatened with a Lycan warrior. That electric connection between them, from that very first meeting in the Subway tunnels, was still working.

They moved through the byways, gutters, and drain wells. Selene's sense was proved valid once more as she began hearing muttered voices, strangely distorted on the curved walls cutting them off from all contact with the surface.

She signaled her vampire partner for caution as she stalked further toward the source of those voices. As their proximity closed, the murmurs were joined by louder, more raucous auditory coming from further along. The two of them froze as a pained scream echoed over their heads. Selene swallowed, praying that wasn't Michael's voice she was hearing. The sound lingered, morphing into something more animalistic, until a wolf's howl resounded in the tunnel.

Selene motioned them forward, a part of her rethinking the advisability of her plan. Another was anxious to catch a glimpse of the human turned Lycan turned hybrid. She was somehow sure that he was in danger.

The two of them hugged the closest wall, the inside of the curve, in order to make detection harder for any sentries looking for intruders. Their caution saved them nothing.

A growl, one that barely carried over the dying sound of the creature's scream, was their only warning that they weren't alone.

The form leapt from the surrounding blackness, and the Death Dealers reacted in unison. Guns cut staccato in the sudden stillness, and the Lycan went down.

An alarm went out, "Death Dealers! Death dealers in the tunnels!"

"Shit," Selene swore under her breath, bringing both guns up aimed the direction she had heard the alarm.

Kahn was pressed to her back, covering the rear, which seemed to have sprouted Lycans from the cracks.

It wasn't long before they were surrounded. The cacophony of snarls and growls, howls and snapping was deafening. Selene tried to cover her half of the circle in forced slow sweeps of her automatic pistols. She wanted to shout her purpose here, but knew that it would do no good at all. There was no love lost between these Weres and her kind.

The circle closed, the Lycans uncaring of her gun, knowing that their numbers were more than hers, even if a few went down, there would be dozens to take their place.

"I'm all for ideas, love." Kahn sounded shaken.

"Fresh out."

A roar split through the already loud crowd around the two. It silenced the Lycan horde and startled Selene. She kept her guns up as she noted movement at the edge of the crowd closest the tunnel. Bodies parted and a blue skinned creature stiffly walked between the living walls, glaring at them as he went. He looked up as he closed the distance, slipping his skin until Michael resumed his human appearance.

"Whoa," Kahn whispered.

Selene was too elated to acknowledge Kahn's surprise.

"Selene," Michael breathed, clearing the space between them and cupping her pale face in his large warm hands. He didn't give her time to respond, smothering whatever she had been about to say in a passionate kiss.

She melted, remembering every reason why she had fallen for this man. Her arms, guns still in hand, encircled his back, returning his greeting with emotion equally as ardent.

After long moments they broke off, Selene remembering that they three were surrounded by Lycans. Her gaze slipped over his shoulder, surprised to find a woman standing along the inside edge of the loose circle. Her hair was long, wild and dark, and the golden hue of her eyes gave her an otherworldly look Selene had never seen.

A _female_ Lycan?

The emotion on that other woman's face confused Selene, a mix of disappointment, anger, and regret filling up each corner of her smooth and beautiful features.

Then she started to shift.

"Michael?"

The hybrid spun, seeing what was going on, and he cut her off before the now fully transformed Lycan female could step forward.

"Seneca what are you doing?" There was a frantic note to his voice.

The golden eyes were hot on him, towering over him by a good two heads. She, like Michael in his other state, said nothing aloud. Some conversation must have passed between them, because the emotions on Michael's face ran a gambit. Finally his shoulders slouched and he met Selene's eyes.

He stepped back over to her, "I've made a mistake. Give me your weapons."

"What? Why?"

"You've claimed something that is rightfully hers." He nodded toward the silver furred Lycan. The look in his eyes was apologetic.

Selene was unable to help the shock on her face, "What?"

"You have to fight Seneca for the right to be Alpha Female of the pack."

Selene could only blink rapidly, unable to comprehend what Michael must have done here in so little time.


	10. To Get Into Trouble

**Chapter Nine: …To Get Into Trouble**

Michael found that he was way out of his element with all of this and the way in which Lycan society worked. The deference made him uncomfortable, even when it was the reason he was sure he could make his play to bring the dens to heel. The members of Seneca's den in majority treated him like royalty.

Seneca's reprimand stung that much more. She picked up on his discomfort with being a strong disciplinarian, and called him on it. He tried, taking her word that he would be challenged should he continue to show the "weakness" of wanting those around him to be equals. Her prediction proved accurate as one of the weaker in the pack tried for a power play.

The fight was almost a moot point. His initial reluctance to engage in the fight was overcome by the look from Seneca, his previous reprimand, and the rage that seemed to be a second skin since his changes. His newly acquired dark streak answered the challenge and no amount of rationalization was going to keep him from kicking the Lycan's ass.

Before Selene – before his hybridization – he had never thrown a punch in his life. That instinct seemed to go right along with his violent bent.

His response to threats, both to his person and those he cared about, was as instantaneous as it was violent. Each passing day his strength grew, as did his abilities. He could taste and smell when threats arose and could answer them before they became a reality.

The former doctor watched as his opponent transformed to save himself an agonizing and bloody death. The howl echoed and reechoed through the man made cavern, raising gooseflesh on his skin.

Already stunned by what he'd done and what the Lycan was doing to heal, the sound of gunfire reaching the gathering staggered his senses.

"Death Dealers! Death Dealers in the tunnels!"

A growl rent from his hybrid throat as his glare moved the direction of that warning. A cacophony of snarls and howls erupted around him, darkly furred bodies streaming past and heading for the threat.

_Selene!_ Her name ran through his head, sure as it was dark down here that she had mounted some kind of "rescue" for him after his abduction. He regretted again not being able to tell her of his plan before he executed it. He wondered what she was thinking about his actions.

His gaze fell to find Seneca still rooted where she witnessed the fight, and did nothing to stop it. A strange expression passed over her exotic features, one Michael couldn't readily identify. Part of it was…satisfaction.

Michael ignored it, realizing that Selene was going to be outnumbered. While she could handle a lot with her new abilities, the numbers would certainly play a role in slowing her down. He slipped past Seneca, catching her falling in behind him in his peripheral vision. The hybrid trailed the majority of the den as they set out to dispatch the threat to their lives and their den.

Through shifting bodies, Michael caught a glimpse of pale skin and thick shoulder length hair. There was another with Selene, and the two of them were doing all they could to cover the hundred Lycans hemming them in.

Unable to vocalize in any other way, Michael's roar cut through the din. The den fell silent and bodies parted before him. Another change, there was resistance to his presence before, and in some of the faces he recognized, he knew even the argumentative ones were following his single command for silence.

Strange…what had he done to command respect so universally?

He intended to keep his cool, play his hand cautiously. All of that planning fell apart as he cleared the inner ring of Lycans and looked full upon the vampire he'd fallen in love with. His skin slipped of its own accord, his paling skin covered in beads of sweat despite the chill in the underground tunnel. He cleared the small space on quick feet.

"Selene!"

Before he could engage his brain, he was lip-locked with her, savoring the taste of her lips. It felt as if it had been forever since he last touched her like this. He didn't want to break apart from her, but made himself before he lost all control of the passion that was rising up from down deep.

Michael noted when Selene's eyes widened, "Michael?" There was a taint of fear in her voce and Michael wheeled to see Seneca halfway through transformation. He dashed across the space cutting the female Lycan from any advance on Selene.

"Seneca, what are you doing?"

_How dare you! _Ripped through his mind, causing him to wince. It didn't hurt, but the unexpectedness of the intrusion startled him.

_What? Seneca…what did I do? _He didn't voice the confusion out loud, but her reaction told him she heard each nuance of thought.

_I took you in…showed you the Lycan way. _She rose up on powerful haunches, her silver fur seeming to glow in the low light. _Was this your intent the entire time?_

_I don't understand…_

_I'm not so sure of that. _She leaned into his face. _You've assumed Alpha, your actions have proven your right to lead. Yet as soon as you take the role, you move to oust me from my hard won position? You give my position to another without even giving me the right to fight the challenger!_

Michael glanced at Selene, realizing too late his folly, knowing the price of his lack of control. He looked back into the fiery gold eyes. _I didn't mean…what can I do to fix this?_

_There is nothing YOU can do to fix it, Michael – nothing except getting out of my way and allowing me to defend my right to be at your side._

"Holy fuck," Michael uttered. He swallowed only just realizing just how badly he stepped on his own toes in his dealings with the Lycan Den. How did his intent to gain control of the den lead to this? His intentions only had to do with liaising with Seneca, allowing her to keep her control while using her cooperation to sway the outlook on the vampire cousins. He knew it was going to be difficult to balance that after he found out the terms of his gaining the control he wanted and needed.

_You should have thought about that before your public display of affection for your Selene. Now I must win back what is rightfully mine. If I win, I will remain Alpha._

_And if you lose?_

_Then I will be killed…or banished…either way your plan will fail, you will not have the requisite knowledge to make your idea of peace a reality._

_I didn't mean…_

_And you didn't think!_

_I'm sorry_

_Don't tell me you're sorry! Only humans are sorry! Consider your trap well laid…you even fooled this old girl…now tell her to give over her weapons and prepare her as best you can for what is to come._

Michael's shoulders slouched as he once more stepped over to Selene. "I've made a mistake. Give me your weapons."

"What? Why?" Selene looked angry and incredulous of his request.

"You've claimed something that is rightfully hers." He nodded toward the silver furred Lycan. He tried to get Selene to read the apology in his eyes.

Shock crossed Selene's face. "What?"

"You have to fight Seneca for the right to be Alpha Female of the pack." He raised his hand waiting for her to place the semi autos in his hand. Her expression told him she trusted him, but that she was still confused about what was going on. She placed her guns into his hands. Michael turned away before Selene could lock his gaze, questions burning in her still blue eyes. He glanced back up at Seneca before pushing his body into the loose circle.

Two Lycan's captured the other vampire and Michael was forced to insist on his safety. The two lowered their frames, their ears swinging aft in a submissive gesture.

Michael looked to Selene, now backing and sidestepping as the large silver furred Lycan leader closed the distance on them.

_Be careful…_ and he wasn't sure just who he was sending that mental message to.

Selene locked her gaze onto the Lycana waiting for Seneca to make the first move. Her prowess was in evidence as she merely measured the vampire. The Lycana still circled long after a lesser Lycan would have charged its opponent.

Seneca stopped circling crouching down and bracing herself on the damp cement with one hand. The other was loosely perched on her knee.

Selene also stopped, settling into a defensive position.

Seneca lowered her long head between her muscled shoulders. Her ears twitched slightly, one flicking forward before pinning to the side of her head again. She feinted in her leap, and when Selene ducked to the left, Seneca pulled back and leapt to her right, intercepting her retreat. With a deafening roar Seneca lashed out, her hands nearly as large as Selene's entire head.

Selene's speed and experience were the only things to save her from such an assault. She ducked back to her right under that slashing paw, pushed straight and then punched Seneca in the upper jaw just below one golden eye. As she drew her hand back she grabbed one tufted ear, changing the momentum of Seneca's fall. The move made it look as if the Lycana had been clothes-lined.

Feet kicking as she landed, Seneca was quick to regain her footing, slashing at Selene's ankles to keep the hybridized vampire off of her while she recovered. Selene leapt back, pulling her knees to her chest as she jump-roped over that swinging arm.

Seneca braced herself as Selene came again, as Selene came within range the Lycan slashed once and then again. Only Selene was no longer there, she dodged back, and was leaping as the final arm swung down. The vampire tackled the Lycan with the force of a bullet train, knocking them both to the damp stones. Before Seneca could react, Selene was already moving away.

Michael grimaced, afraid that this was going to be the way of the fight. He watched, sitting on an urge to rush into the fray and end this before it ended in stupidity.

He noted something he'd never seen in Selene before, her eyes were no longer brown, or even the white-blue he was used to when she fought. Her eyes had slid into a faint gold tone. He could only think that it had something to do with the Corvinus blood now added to her veins.

Seneca once more came to her feet, leaping high and crossing the open space in the span of a breath, she landed just behind Selene as she was spinning around. This time her strike landed across the vampire's back, laying open her dark bustier and the contrasting skin underneath.

"Augh!" Selene yelped, but that was all the sign that Seneca hurt her, she round housed with enough momentum that Seneca's body ended up nearly at Michael's feet.

This time Selene didn't wait for Seneca to recover, she was atop the lycana before she could gather her wits about her. Though Seneca was able to get some good licks in she was most certainly on the losing end of the fight.

Before Michael could stop himself he inserted his body between Selene and Seneca, realizing just how out of control of this situation he was. He snarled into Selene's face, mere inches from her as he backed her down from the fight.

He slipped to human form as he turned to Seneca.

_What are you doing? _The Lycana snarled in his head. She looked to the rest of the crowd and Michael's gaze followed, seeing hackles rise and lips snarling all around him. He caught edges of thoughts, all of them echoing yet another fuck up on his part.

_I'd rather lose this ill gained position than see you killed, Seneca._

_Stupid – you've just signed all of our death warrants! _She pushed to her feet, gathered herself, and leapt the crowd around the two. Blood sprinkled them all as she landed the other side with a howl. _I would suggest you retreat if you wish to retain your miserable life._

"Wait! Seneca!" He wheeled toward Selene. "Shit."

He tossed Selene her weapons, and then leapt across the space toward the vampire that had accompanied her. He was already in hybrid form by the time he landed. He slashed the two guards holding the vampire, yanked him free, and then bull-dozed his way through the thinnest portion of the Lycan wall surrounding him.

_C'mon Selene! _

He thought he might have managed that aloud when Selene said, "On your heels."

He knew it was impossible he hadn't managed human vocalization since he was turned. He didn't question the miracle of their communication as the three of them fled a worsening situation.

Howls followed their retreat, but the sound faded. He thought he picked up on another voice recalling their tail. The Beta's must have assumed Alpha and were calling their children to them. That didn't mean that there would be no one to challenge their retreat, they would just be delayed and in greater numbers when they did take up the hunt.

Michael slowed as he realized that no further pursuit hounded them. He sniffed, wanting to catch up with Seneca. He owed her an apology for the mess he made of her pack. He picked up her scent, and stalked after it even as he allowed himself to relax his warrior's stance and form.

"Michael, what the hell just happened?"

Michael glanced back at Selene catching both her and her vampire companion's curious looks. He clenched his jaw, not wanting to admit that Selene was right. He was not nearly as accomplished in Underworld dealings as he would like to believe.

"Tha' has to be the oddest exchange I've evah seen."

"Michael?" She grabbed his bare arm wheeling him around to face her. "What have you been doing down here?"

"Trying to do my part." He snapped.

She pulled her chin into her neck.

"You planned tha'?" the darkly skinned vampire asked.

"That wasn't _exactly_ how I imagined it going down, no."

He turned his face up the tunnel. His nose wasn't deceiving him; Seneca's scent was getting stronger.

"How exactly was that supposed to go?"

"It was supposed to end with the Den on our side. It was working."

"So what happened?"

"He learned just enough to get him into trouble," Seneca stepped out into the lighter shadows. She was in her human form again, unabashedly naked. Her golden eyes brimmed with tears, "and ruined my world in the process."

"I…"

She slapped him before he could complete that apology. "Don't apologize to me! Don't! I should kill you!"

"You'll have to go through me to do it." Selene was next to Michael in a heartbeat.

Seneca smiled bitterly. "Aye, I bet you would die or kill to save him. He smells of your influence."

Selene stayed mute, her hand clenching her gun.

"So, just why are you following me?" she looked to Michael now.

Selene and the other vampire also fixed him in their gazes.

"I…I think your experience can still be of value for our," he looked at Selene, "goal."

Despite the betrayal behind her eyes, she looked intrigued. "I no longer will hold sway with this or any Den, Michael, I don't know what you think I can still do."

"Help us show that our peoples can work together."

"Lucian tried that."

"In secret, yes, and it failed. This would be an open alliance."

"You stand to meet stiff resistance to such a change."

"We know that," it was Selene who chimed in. Michael shot her an appreciative smile. "But we must start somewhere or it will never start."

* * *

**_A/N: Holy Crap an update...yeah I know...I apologize right now for the length of time it has taken me to finally shape this chapter. I honestly thought I had written myself into a corner, and had several choices to get out of it, the easy way...and of course the realistic way. This you will find is the realistic way...and though I am not entirely happy with it, I am posting it...I may go back and edit again later, but not right now!_**

**_I was also dealing with some soul searching regarding my handling of the characters and whether I was truly slandering them or letting them grow. I took some of the OOC comments on board, tried to explainmy takebetter...(I will be going back through and reposting the first nine chapters with the "updated" material). Others of it I decided were honest character growth for Michael and allowed to stand._**

**_Thanks to all for their patience, and all of the reviews asking me to continue this, they have been a boon through a rough patch of writing in the story._**

**_Comments, questions and of course critiques are welcome!_**

**_Darwin_**


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